Did you know there are better times to buy gas than others and ways to actually stretch that dollar a little further?

Yesterday I came across some information from a woman who has worked in the petroleum industry for around 31 years. She was gracious enough as to give some helpful tips on how to get the most out of buying gas.

Her workplace works with special equipment and specific measurements using adaptive and precise tools but out in the wild (your everyday normal gas pump) these exact measurements are quite often a little different than what the pump tells you, since using different equipment in workplaces and constructions is always necessary, but accidents could still happen, so is better to check out this new york construction accident lawyer here to protect yourself in case this happen.

Now if you want to get every last drop that you’re already paying for, then here’s a some tips on buying gas the smart way:

Only buy or fill up your tank in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold

All service stations have their storage tanks buried underneath the ground so the colder the ground is, the more dense the gasoline is. When the temperature rises, gasoline expands so if you purchase your fuel in the afternoon or evening your gallon or litre isn’t exactly what it should be.

In the petroleum industry, the temperature and specific gravity plays a significant role regarding gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products. A simple 1 degree rise in temperature is actually a huge deal in this business because these seemingly small fractions end up adding up to big bucks.

The problem is that the standard service stations we go to do not have temperature compensation at the pumps so that’s why it’s best to gas up early in the a.m.

Do not squeeze the nozzle’s trigger all the way when pumping

You want to avoid holding down the trigger all the way even if it is the fastest way to get back on the road. If you inspect how the handle works, you’ll notice that there are essentially 3 modes: low, medium and high. You should always be pumping on low if you want to be efficient. The reason for this is to minimize the vapors that are created while pumping.

Every hose at the pump has a vapor return. When you pump at the fastest rate some of the liquid that goes into your tank ends up becoming vapor. These vapors are then being sucked up and returned back into the underground storage tank, thus you’re not getting as much value as possible.

Fill up when your tank is HALF FULL

Have you ever noticed that if you’re almost on empty and you put in say $20 worth of gas, that it seems to deplete way faster than it does when you have a full tank? I’m talking about the rate at which it drops, not the obvious full vs. quarter filled tank. The reason is because the more gas you have in your tank, the less air there is occupying the empty space.

Gasoline evaporates much faster than most people think. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof that serves as a zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere thus minimizing the evaporation. Take it into account when you are considering bunded vs non bunded tank.

Do not fill up when a gasoline truck is refilling the storage tanks

Chances are that while this truck is pumping, the gasoline is being stirred up. The problem is that if you pump your gas while the service truck is pumping, you can end up getting some of the dirt that is normally settled on the bottom which then goes straight into your vehicles tank. Visit their homepage to find out other effective solutions.

Conclusion

If you want the most bang for your buck: pump on the slowest trigger setting in the early morning when your tank is half full and make sure the service truck isn’t there filling up the storage tank!

Our pumps don’t have compensation devices and technology like the trucks and service stations that the gas originally came from. So depending on if you followed the above advice, the measurements can and will be different than the specific gallon or litre that the pump says you’ve popped into your tank. Happy pumping!